Italian literature encompasses works written in the Italian language, with prominent figures such as Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, and St. Francis of Assisi leading the way. Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is an epic allegory reflecting the journey of the soul towards God, while Petrarch is celebrated for his humanist lyric poetry. St. Francis is revered for his simplicity and love for nature, exemplified in his hymns like 'The Canticle of the Sun.'

1. ITALIAN
LITERATURE

2. Italian literature is a literature written in the italian
language. Many writers were famous in italy and created
also a place of fame in world literature.
•Dante Alighieri – famous italian poet
•Petrarch – a humanist, first lyricist in italy and considered
the most important writer of his time
•St. Francis of assisi – wrote about nature and god; known
for his goodness and simplicity

3. Dante Alighieri
•Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) an Italian poet wrote la divina
commedia (the divine comedy), his allegory of life and god as
revealed to a pilgrim, written in Terza Rima; inferno (hell),
purgatorio (purgatory), and paradiso (paradise), written
between 1307 and 1321.
• The dates when dante’s works were written are inexact and
many are unfinished, although there is no doubt that dante is
known as the source of modern italian.

4. DIVINE COMEDY
•Dante’s “divine comedy” is an epic that
represents dante as pilgrim who travels
hell, purgatory and heaven to his errors.
It uses the structures of the holy trinity to
produce meaning and to deliver its
message of salvation.

5. Francesco Petrarca
•Also known simply as Petrarch, was born on July
20, 1304, in Arrezo, Italy. He followed his father,
who had been exiled for political reasons, first to
Pisa, then to Avignon. There he received instruction
in grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic. He finally began
studying law in Bologna for a time, then in
Montepellier, but he never finished his course of
studies.

6. LETTER TO POSTERITY
•This letter was written by Petrarca at the
time when he was nominated to receive
the Poet Laureate Award. He was crowned
poet laureate with solemn pomp by a
Roman senator on the Capitol Hill in
1341.

7. St. Francis of Assisi
•Considered one of the most beloved saints, was baptized Giovanni
Bernardone , but as a boy he was nicknamed Francis. He is known
for his goodness and simplicity. One of his endearing traits was his
love for all creatures. His preaching of the birds and his taming of
wolf were favorite subjects of early Italian writers.
• This joyous love of all creatures is sincerely expressed in his hymns,
“The Canticle of the Sun” and “The Canticle of All Creatures”. The
latter was noted by the French critic Renan, “the loveliest piece of
religious poetry since the time of the Evangelists; filled with the joy of
the glory of God, it is priceless piece of literature, breathing
simplicity, faith, devotion and joyful attitude toward life.

8. CANTICLE OF THE SUN
BY ST. FRANCIS OF
ASSISI